Backbone
State Park,
Strawberry Point,
IA-Backbone, a narrow
ridge sculpted by
the Maquoketa River,
towers above Backbone
Lake and offers a
breathtaking view
of the gorge below.
In the park’s
large tract of forest—untouched
for the past eighty
years—you’ll
find diverse migratory
bird visitors and
more than 600 species
of plants. Hiking
Trails

Mines
of Spain State Recreation
Area, Dubuque,
IA-Mines of Spain
State Recreation Area,
located on the bluffs
overlooking Catfish
Creek and the Mississippi
River, encompasses
Catfish Creek State
Preserve and the Julien
Dubuque Monument (on
the National Register
of Historic Places).
Hiking
Trails

Coralville
Reservoir - Linder
and Squire Points,
Iowa City, IA-One
of the many developed
trail systems around
the Coralville Reservoir–Lake
MacBride complex,
the connecting loops
of Linder and Squire
Points Trails have
long served as a haven
for dog walkers and
trail runners. A few
loops on the trails
here combined with
a nice bike ride around
the reservoir make
for a great day. Hiking
Trails

Jacob
Krumm Prairie,
Newton, IA-Today,
muskrats build dens
on the site of a former
hog lot, and fish
use junked cars at
the bottom of ponds
as breeding habitat.
Prairie is reseeded
both by human hand
and from the railroad
right-of-way seedbank.
Hiking
Trails

Clanton
Creek Recreation Area,
Winterset, IA-Hike
the 2.0-mile loop
or the 8.0-mile out-and-back
trail that goes up
and down—and
up and down—over
the real hills of
south-central Iowa.
Three hike-in campsites
make this an ideal
place to spend the
weekend. Hiking
Trails

Ledges
State Park,
Boone, IA-Picturesque
sandstone bluffs line
the canyon of Pea’s
Creek just before
it enters the Des
Moines River. Take
the 5.4-mile loop
around the upland
prairie reconstruction,
down to the canyon,
over to the interpretive
trail around Lost
Lake, and back again.Hiking
Trails

Yellow
River State Forest
- Paint Creek Unit,
Harpers Ferry, IA-With
25 miles of trails
that wind through
deep river valleys
and over huge bluffs,
happen upon overlooks
with stunning vistas,
and stop along the
way at four “backcountry”
campsites, it’s
truly the place for
a wilderness experience
in Iowa. Hiking
Trails

North American wonders reach from from the lofty peaks
of the Cascade Mountain range to the watery paradise of Florida's Everglades.

The South American natural forces can be witnessed in
countless forms--you'll find them cascading over the Devil's Throat of
the Iguazu Falls, flooding Llanos grasslands.

The Australian Great Barrier Reef stretches to Papua
New Guinea, while New Zealand's Tongariro volcano towers above waves of
rugged hills.

The African Congo Basin is a network of swamps and emerald
forests as diverse as the four counterpoints it unifies. The European
and Middle Eastern natural histories include building castles on its rocky
peaks, painting frescoes in its caves, trading through its passes, and
perishing at its mercy.

The European and Middle Eastern natural
histories include building castles on its rocky peaks, painting frescoes
in its caves, trading through its passes, and perishing at its mercy.

The dual Asian power of nature is demonstrated through
the elements at play in Asia. Fire-spewing volcanoes raise new lands from
their summits.Ocean-worlds house water-kingdoms. Finally earth-bound and
sky-stretching mountains--figures of inspiration.

The Polar Regions are an icy wilderness where the frozen
fingertips of polar icecaps feel their way across stretches of land and
water, the Arctic and Antarctic form the polar regions of our globe.